1889.] Address. 51 



and science, whose names have adorned otir member- rolls for upwards 

 of a century. 



Such work in India has to be performed for the most part under the 

 greatest difficulties. The climate is ever trying, and official duties tend 

 daily to press more heavily. Libraries too are few, and the appliances 

 for scientific work difficult to obtain and to keep in good order. 



We have as yet no class of leisured devotees of science, as in other 

 countries, though it may be hoped that as time goes on, the seeds of the 

 scientific education, now so liberally thrown broad-cast over the country, 

 may produce good fruit. It is disappointing, however, to see from a 

 recent resolution of the Government of Bengal, that this branch of 

 education is making so little advance and that the science course is 

 losing popularity in favour of more literary but less practical studies. 

 For progress in the practical applications of science we have mainly to 

 look to the Scientific Departments of the Government ; for few of us have 

 either the facilities or the leisure for carrying out independent researches 

 of our own ; and thus it has come about that experimental science 

 occupies so small a place in our Journal, a fact greatly to be regretted, 

 for the field of useful work is still large. It must be admitted, however, 

 that there is much in favour of the centralisation of the results of the 

 scientific work carried on under Government in various departments, so 

 that enquirers in this or other countries may at once know where the 

 information they are in search of is most likely to be found ; the work 

 is done more completely, and the continuity of the records of it thus 

 secured is of the utmost importance. 



For myself, though I should be the last to underrate the value of 

 the admirable work our Society has done and is doing, I should be glad 

 to see it occupy a more prominent position as the exponent and repre- 

 sentative of scientific progress in this country and keep itself more 

 in touch with the movements of the day in the direction of scientific 

 and technical education, and the spread of scientific knowledge in its 

 application to the practical requirements of the country. New Societies 

 and new. Journals are being started, some of them for objects quite 

 within our scope. It is exceedingly gratifying to see this evidence of 

 progress, but at the same time it seems to show that our Society does 

 not sufficiently meet the requirements of the times, and it might be 

 well for us to consider whether anything could with advantage be done 

 to extend its usefulness by a re-arrangement of our Journals and the 

 encouragement of branch Societies or Sections for special objects. This, 

 however, is a subject upon which I cannot now enlarge. 



As it would be quite impossible to deal with work going on all over 

 the Continent of Asia, I propose to limit my remarks as far as possible 



